November 2019
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1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 Doug L <[email protected]> Participate Newsletter November 2019 3 messages Federation of Gay Games <[email protected]> Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 10:57 AM Reply-To: "Paul, Shiv" <[email protected]> To: Doug Litwin <[email protected]> Welcome to the November Edition of Participate!, our last newsletter of 2019! November 2019 Greetings! It's been a little over one year since the spectacular Paris 2018 Gay Games 10 and momentum has shifted to Gay Games 11 Hong Kong 2022. Living authentically and standing up for your beliefs is not easy but it is necessary. Since the close of the 2018 Gay Games, we have celebrated WorldPride, the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. We have had discussion on what it means to be an athlete as with the Caster Semenya case. More people are coming out including athletes like Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, professional Mexican-American footballer Janelly Farias Rodríguez, and 40 members of 2019 Women's World Cup Soccer teams. The dialogue about acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and our place in sports has never been stronger and being part of this conversation is how change happens. Recently FGG held its first Annual General Assembly in Latin America where members had an opportunity to share experiences and ideas to bring change to our communities in their regions. We also celebrated local people who support us in our efforts and we were privileged to experience a key part of the culture as AGA coincided with the Day of the Dead. The recent events in Hong Kong have not deterred us from bringing our people, our culture and an understanding of how to celebrate diversity to disenfranchised regions. It's never been more important to show solidarity and it reminds us of our founder Tom Waddell's words that the "FGG is the largest political non-political organization in the world." As we look towards the new year, we encourage you to reflect on how far you've come and share your stories with us on social media to increase connectedness among our communities. #FGG #gaygames. #gaygameshk2022 #lgbtq #love https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ik=b58fda7b0d&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1650295335860138181&simpl=msg-f%3A1650295335… 1/13 1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 Joanie Evans, co-president Sean Fitzgerald, co-president AGA 2019 130+ delegates, Honorary Life Members (HLMs), and observers of the international Federation of Gay Games (FGG) from 21 countries recently participated in the Annual General Assembly (AGA) in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 31 - November 2, 2019. The AGA was a great success! 5 Key Takeaways from AGA 2019 1. We will find ways to continue to support LGBTQ+ sports and their participants in Latin America and the Caribbean 2. We cannot underestimate the importance of giving local people international recognition through our Awards Ceremony 3. We are in process of developing partnership and sponsorship opportunities with regional partners. 4. With the success of the outreach activities in Guadalajara, we saw real value in inviting past scholarship recipients and in outreach activities that focus on areas of under-representation in the Federation and in Gay Games. We will explore both elements with a view to including them in AGA 2020 5. Some logistical hiccups led to a motion from the floor that all paperwork must be completed and with delegates no less than three weeks before AGA 2020 to ensure a smooth AGA experience for all 6. Attendees greatly appreciated a session to aid understanding of the current situation in Hong Kong. It helped allay fears for people planning to go to Gay Games 11 ________ FGG Board Election Results During the Guadalajara AGA, elections were held for the FGG Board of Directors. 10 incumbent Board members were re-elected to the Board in their current or new positions. In addition, the Board welcomed three new officers: Grace Thompson (Officer at Large from Washington, D.C.), Cyril Millet (Officer of Technology from Paris, France), and Dalma Paimann (Officer at Large from Guadalajara, Mexico). 11 additional Board members are in the middle of their two-year terms and were not up for election. See photos at https://gaygames.org/Your-Board https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ik=b58fda7b0d&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1650295335860138181&simpl=msg-f%3A1650295335… 2/13 1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 ________ GGHK2022 Update - Join us for Hong Kong 2022 - Gay Games 11! The Hong Kong Team delivered two sessions to update members on the progress of planning for Gay Games 11, one on the current situation in Hong Kong and the other outlining the work ongoing of the Hong Kong team for the 2022 Gay Games. The FGG and the attending members are leaving Mexico feeling confident that the Gay Games in Hong Kong will be a sensational sports and cultural event that will kickstart and foster LGBTQ+ connections among our communities in the city and region. This will be the largest ever LGBTQ+ sports and cultural event ever held in Asia. 12,000 participants, 36 sports, and 20+ cultural events will take place over 9 days in November, 2022. “Hong Kong is an opportunity to make a positive political statement by doing something that is fun and non-threatening and which can change peoples’ perspectives of what it means to be LGBTQ+,” said Gene Dermody, a participant in all ten Gay Games. ________ Legacy Awards presented at Guadalajara AGA https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ik=b58fda7b0d&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1650295335860138181&simpl=msg-f%3A1650295335… 3/13 1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 Continuing a trend that started in 2009, the Federation of Gay Games held its Legacy Awards during the 2019 AGA in Guadalajara. A festive ceremony was emceed by FGG Officer of Ceremonies Eddie Young, with Co-Presidents Joanie Evans and Sean Fitzgerald doing the honors. A total of 15 awards were presented to FGG honorees and to local and regional individuals and organizations. A torrential rainstorm and a brief power outage at Peligro Al Fondo only served to make the event more fun and successful! This Awards ceremony has become an important event as it celebrates the meaningful and hard work individuals and organizations do to promote acceptance and equality. To see the complete list of Legacy Award recipients, visit https://gaygames.org/Annual-Legacy-Awards ________ Welcome our New Members! "On behalf of the entire Federation of Gay Games, I welcome all our newest members." - Bill McManus-VP Member Services Sporting Pride Ireland Following on from the success of Team Ireland at the World Gay Games in Paris last year Sporting Pride, Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ sports organization, has been established. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ik=b58fda7b0d&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1650295335860138181&simpl=msg-f%3A1650295335… 4/13 1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 Sporting Pride is committed to making sport a more inclusive and diverse environment for members of the LGBTQ+ communities and in doing so, promoting the well known positive benefits of fitness and exercise to one’s physical and mental wellbeing. Participation rates in sports amongst the LGBTQ+ communities are below the national average. Homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, societal pressure and concerns around ‘coming out’ all contribute to a decline in participation amongst late teens and older LGBTQ+ people. To improve participation rates Sporting Pride is developing two-pronged connected approach: 1. Promotion: Increase participation of the LGBTQ+ communities by supporting established LGBTQ+ sports clubs across the country to increase visibility of available sports and services, and removing barriers by working with National Sports Governing Bodies to develop LGBTQ+ inclusive programmes for every sports club in Ireland. 2. Competition: For those wanting to compete at national or international level we will encourage athletes to join Team Ireland at the regular national or international LGBTQ+ friendly competitions taking place throughout the world. The EuroGames in Rome in July will offer athletes an opportunity to experience international competition and applications to join the Team are now open. Team Ireland brought home over 40 medals, 13 gold, from last year’s World Gay Games in Paris, in sports such as badminton, swimming, running and cycling. Orgullo Deportivo is a nonprofit organization formed in alliance with Zorros LGBT, Azkatl Mexico and Divinas LGBT. It is dedicated to promoting the development and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in Mexico through sports and the provision of support and integration services. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ik=b58fda7b0d&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1650295335860138181&simpl=msg-f%3A1650295335… 5/13 1/15/2020 The Federation of Gay Games Mail - Participate Newsletter November 2019 Orgullo Deportivo’s social services and programs center around sports activities for the development of LGBTQ+ people, including national, regional and local tournaments, allowing them to participate safely and without fear of prejudice or stereotypes in activities traditionally identified in Mexico with machismo and homophobia. Our target population are members of the LGBTQ+ communities, mainly serving young people and young adults in the range of 16 to 35 years. We also promote funding campaigns to support young LGBTQ+ athletes with scholarships so that they can participate in national and international LGBTQ+ events. We have created an online map to facilitate the creation of new sports clubs throughout the country.People or teams can connect, sign up, recruit new members and publicize their sporting events.